KJCKorea
Journal Central

This study explores the educational potential of Self-Reflection Note (SRN) tasks in a Korean culture course for international students, with a focus on self-directed learning ability. Twenty-eight international undergraduates completed eight SRN tasks over one semester. Data were collected through pre- and post-tests, SRN texts, and learner interviews. The post-test scores were significantly higher than the pre-test scores, with relatively large changes in learning planning and learning evaluation. The qualitative analysis identified five reflective patterns: understanding key content, recognizing incomprehension, comparing cultures, changing learning methods and attitudes, and forming subsequent learning needs. In later SRN tasks, learners tended to provide more specific explanations and learning needs. The interviews also showed that learners perceived SRN tasks as helpful for class comprehension, self-monitoring, cultural comparison, and self-expression, although some experienced burdens related to repeated writing and Korean expression. These findings suggest that SRN tasks may serve as a process-oriented instructional tool supporting international students’ self-directed learning and reflection.

This study designs a letter-writing instructional model centered on the theme of love for university liberal arts courses and applies it to two courses of differing character in order to examine its operational feasibility and learners' responses. Drawing on the six-stage letter-writing model proposed by Tadros, Presley and Ramadan (2024) from the perspective of narrative therapy, the model was adapted into five stages: preparation, planning, writing, sharing, and reflection. Learners' written products were analyzed qualitatively and a survey was administered to examine the outcomes. Learners reported that constructing their experiences of love into a narrative helped them recognize and reflect on their own emotions more clearly. Responses also indicated that reading others' letters and exchanging feedback extended their experience of empathy and communication, and clarification of emotion and self-reflection were cited as central learning experiences in both courses. These findings suggest that the proposed model can be received as an occasion for emotional reflection and relational understanding across courses of differing character.

This study aimed to explore ways to reconstruct the career education curriculum of the liberal arts required course ‘Career Exploration and Design’ to reflect the linguistic and cultural characteristics of international students divided into Korean-track and English-track. A needs assessment survey based on the DOTS model was administered to 72 international students at D University (Korean-track, n=39; English-track, n=33), measuring the importance and current level of career development competencies across 6 domains and 28 items. Data were analyzed using paired-sample t-tests, the Borich needs assessment formula, the Locus for Focus model, and independent-sample t-tests. Results indicated that International Student Career Competency, Career Language Competency, and Opportunity Awareness showed the highest educational needs in that order. Locus for Focus analysis identified seven items—including understanding of visa systems, foreign employment procedures, and recruitment culture—as top-priority educational targets in the first quadrant. Independent-sample t-tests revealed significant differences between the two tracks in the current levels of Transition Learning and Career Decision-Learning, confirming the need for track-differentiated syllabi. Based on these findings, an integrated language-career-culture syllabus was proposed for the Korean-track, and a global career model-based syllabus was proposed for the English-track.